


An Opening For A Sidekick

by imaginary_golux



Series: October Ficlet Challenge [59]
Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Disney Princesses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-27 04:58:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12574236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: Prompt 30: Superhero/supervillainBelle meets the new supervillain in town. It goes surprisingly well.Prompt and beta by my Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw.





	An Opening For A Sidekick

“Bookworm, what have you got for us?” Jasmine’s voice rings from the speaker at Belle’s left hand, and Belle grins.

“Our water girls have Ursula pretty well in hand,” she says, toggling through the camera views quickly. “Mother Gothel seems to have run off, but I can’t see Jafar and I _know_ he doesn’t retreat that easily. Snow and Sleeper could use some help with Maleficent, on your four o’clock.”

“On it,” Jasmine says, and Belle sees her turn the Carpet towards the growing cloud of malevolent green-purple smoke. Belle checks quickly to see how Rapunzel and Mulan are doing against Shan Yu and Gaston - the answer is ‘quite well,’ as Rapunzel has Shan Yu tied up in her hair and Mulan is apparently enjoying beating the living crap out of Gaston - and grins to herself. As far as chaotic supervillain invasions go, this one isn’t going badly.

There’s a loud crash behind her, and Belle sighs and rubs her forehead. Should have known better than to think that.

“Tigress, take over coordination,” she says. “I’ve got trouble here.”

“You need backup, Bookworm?” Jasmine asks, urging her Carpet higher as she speaks.

“No, I’ve got this,” Belle says, and turns to see Jafar and a villain she doesn’t recognize looming in the doorway. The new villain is _enormous_ , a shaggy monster half again the size of an ordinary human, with remarkable fangs and claws. Next to him, Jafar looks almost frail, but Belle knows better than to take her eyes off him. 

Jafar laughs, low and menacing. “You’ve got this?” he asks mockingly. “You and what army, little _Bookworm_?”

Belle grins and waves a hand, and all around her, the knick knacks and tchotchkes and tables and chairs and fireplace pokers come alive. Jafar stops advancing, eyes wide. His companion makes a rumbly sound of confusion.

“This army,” Belle says mildly. “Get ‘em, boys.”

The fireplace tools go straight for Jafar, since cold iron is often the most effective weapon against magic-users. Jafar tries to blast them with fire - not a good choice - and then gives an undignified squawk, sounding a lot like his parrot, and turns to flee from the now-red-hot pokers. Belle leaves them to it, focusing instead on the unknown villain, who is backed into a corner and snarling at the coatrack as it menaces him.

Belle walks cautiously closer, two end tables and a candelabrum escorting her. “I don’t recognize you,” she says carefully. “New in town?”

“I am the _Beast_ ,” the new villain rumbles, voice deep and rasping and full of danger. Belle grins.

“Good to meet you,” she says. “So here’s the first rule of the city,” and she waves a hand back over her shoulder at the screens showing Snow and Aurora and the dwarves binding Maleficent tightly, Moana and Ariel tying Ursula’s many legs in a complicated knot, Rapunzel and Mulan high-fiving above the unconscious forms of Shan Yu and Gaston, Jasmine and her Carpet following Jafar as he sprints through the streets pursued by Belle’s fireplace tools. “Don’t mess with the Fairytale Girls.”

The Beast makes a sound that might be confusion or just annoyance. Belle grins wider. “So since you’re new in town, and since Jafar could talk a snake into buying boots, the smooth-talking bastard, I’ll give you a pass on today,” she says. “You don’t go around attacking innocents - or us - and we’ll leave you alone to do your own thing. Sound fair?” She waves the coatrack back, and the Beast stops growling and straightens up, clearly bewildered.

“You’re not -” he says, voice still low and growly but not nearly as menacing. “Jafar said -”

“I’m sure he said all sorts of nasty things about us,” Belle says, shrugging. “He’s had it in for us since Jasmine set that stupid little beard of his on fire. But since he was trying to kill her with a giant hourglass at the time, I feel like she was entirely justified, don’t you?”

“Ah,” says the Beast, blinking golden eyes in bafflement. “I suppose so, yes. A giant hourglass?”

“Jafar likes to be a little overdramatic,” Belle explains, tone very dry. “Although to be fair to him, so does Ursula. And Mother Gothel. And Shan Yu. Come to think of it, it’s rather a villain _thing_. Though apart from the general -” she waves a hand to encompass the horns and fangs and fur and rippling muscles - “ _you-ness_ , you don’t seem quite as over the top as the rest of them. Not nearly as much posturing.”

“I...could posture more?” the Beast suggests, drawing himself up and _looming_ at the coatrack, which menaces him with a pair of its spindly limbs. Belle giggles.

“Really, it’s not necessary, you’re quite impressive as it is,” she says, and the Beast hunkers down again, giving her a look that’s almost - shy?

“Most people run away screaming when I do that,” he says.

“Yes, well, Jas has a pet tiger and Mulan’s horse likes to pulverise her enemies and Ariel enjoys taking us all swimming with eighteen-foot sharks.” Belle shrugs. “Comparatively, you’re rather…” she trails off, considering the Beast with her head to one side. “Handsome,” she decides at last.

The Beast’s mouth drops open and he gapes at her in sheer astonished bafflement. “ _Handsome_?” he croaks after a moment.

“Yes,” Belle says, nodding to herself. “Also your fur looks very soft.”

The Beast’s legs actually go out from under him, and he sits down hard on the floor and _stares_ at her. Belle sits down on the end-table beside her so she’s not looming over him. The coatrack backs up a few steps so it’s not menacing the Beast any more.

“You’re really not scared of me,” the Beast says finally.

“Really not,” Belle agrees. “You’re not even on the top ten list of the worst enemies I’ve ever faced, I’m afraid. And frankly I’m not sure you _are_ my enemy. Though that’s sort of up to you, I suppose.”

“I...I don’t want to be your enemy,” the Beast admits, and then, slowly, smiles, a startlingly sweet expression despite the fangs. “Would it happen that you had an opening for a sidekick?” He glances around the enormous library. “I can reach the top shelves. And I make fairly good tea.”

Belle stands and offers him a hand, not flinching when his clawed paw closes around her hand with infinite care. “I could use an assistant,” she admits. “Welcome to the Castle. Have you got a name besides ‘Beast’?”

“Adam,” the Beast says shyly, standing up slowly and looking down at her with something like awe in his golden eyes.

“My hero name is Bookworm,” Belle says, smiling up at him warmly. “But you can call me Belle.”

**Author's Note:**

> So Best Beloved and I are doing an October ficlet challenge. We each generated a list of pairings we'd be willing to write and a list of prompts we wanted the other person to write, and then traded prompts lists without knowing what the other person's pairing lists were. We'll be doing a ficlet each every day in October. Should be fun!
> 
> I am, as ever, imaginarygolux on tumblr.


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